All My Cousins
by FunkAndNoodle
Summary: This is an ongoing story about the Next Generation kids throughout their years at Hogwarts. It is rated K for now but is subject to change for later chapters. Any reviews, criticisms, suggestions, etc. are encouraged. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

James POV

James walked happily across Platform 9 ¾. He looked behind him to see his brother watching the train nervously. Maybe he shouldn't have gone so far with the whole Slytherin thing. But come on, Albus was way too fun to mess with. It was his own fault for believing him, anyway. They weren't actually going to disown Albus if he was placed in Slytherin. he watched as his father knelt down to talk to his little brother. James shrugged and hopped onto the train. He didn't have to walk very far to come to the compartment that held his closest friends. He flung the door open quickly, and after hefting his trunk onto the shelf, he laid himself across his friends' laps.

"Aw come on Jay! Get off me! You weigh a ton!" He chuckled and wiggled a bit, as if to make himself more comfortable, "No can do, Marie. I don't think I've ever been more comfortable in my life." She sighed before bringing her hands up and pushing him forcefully to the ground. He flailed a bit as he landed and made a noise that didn't sound quite human. He clutched his heart dramatically and put on the most shocked face he could muster, "Why Marie! I can't believe you! I've never been so hurt! I would have expected this from Freddie or Cas, but from you? Never!" All three laughed heartily at him as he slowly got up from the ground. He tried to fake a glare at them but ended up laughing, too, as he collapsed into his seat.

He had really missed his friends over the summer. Sure, Fred was his cousin and he saw him all the time, but he hadn't gotten a chance to see Marie and Casper quite as much. It had been weird not eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them, or sneaking around late at night together. So James was very glad he was back.

James jumped a bit as the train lurched into motion. He vacated his seat and pressed himself close to the glass, frantically waving goodbye. Even though the independence was amazing, after a while everyone began to miss their family while at school. At least Marie didn't have it as bad, seeing as her father was the herbology professor at Hogwarts.

Once the platform was no longer in sight, James settled comfortably into his seat, ready for the long journey ahead.

Albus POV

Albus ventured deeper into the train. He walked down the aisle, peering into the compartments, looking for a place to sit. After passing many compartments, each filled with kids he didn't recognize, Albus found his brother James, who was lying on the floor, surrounded by his two best friends, Freddie and Casper. He was about to join them when he noticed a girl with dark hair sitting in the seat next to Freddie. He sighed, making his way farther down the train. He stopped at another. Looking in he saw his cousins Dominique and Louis sitting with two older boys that he didn't know.

It seemed like the entire train was full until he reached the very last compartment. Inside there was a boy with white blonde hair sitting alone and staring out the window. He knocked softly on the door. The boy glanced up at him, before moving quickly to open up the compartment door. He sat down in the seat opposite the boy. "I'm Albus Potter," he said, sticking his hand out. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy." The boy answered, taking Albus's hand in his own and shaking it firmly, "It's nice to meet you.","So, are you excited for the sorting?" Scorpius asked, trying to make conversation. Albus shrugged, "I am, it's just that I'm worried about what House I'll be placed in," he answered quietly. "What do you mean?" Scorpius asked. "It's just, my entire family has been in Gryffindor, you know? What would happen if I got placed in Slytherin?" Scorpius smiled at him, "Well, that would be amazing then." "Really, why?" Albus asked. "Because then you'd be with me," Scorpius replied, "Because I'm going to be in Slytherin too."

"You are?" Albus asked him, looking shocked. Scorpius laughed, "Yeah. And what's with that face?" "Nothing," Albus said, "you just don't seem like a Slytherin to me." Scorpius continued laughing, "And why is that? You don't think I look like one of the old Death Eaters? Do I not radiate darkness?" This caught Albus off guard. "Ummm no, not really." "Well good, I sure hope not," Scorpius said, "You know there's a lot more to Slytherin than the dark arts and a bloodline obsession. There's just a few who give us a bad reputation. We're not all trying to take over the world and slaughter muggles like- well I'm sure you know all about him. What I'm trying to say is that there are plenty of good wizards that come out of Slytherin." "Yeah I guess you're right," Albus said, remembering the conversation he had had with his father about Severus Snape.

The boys continued to talk and joke with each other for hours. "It's starting to get dark," Scorpius observed. "I guess that means we're almost there,"Albus said. "Yeah..." They sat in silence for a few minutes before changing into their robes. Then, they looked out the window some more, craning their necks to try to see the castle beyond the tall trees.

The train slowed steadily until it eventually came to a stop. The boys looked to each other, grins appearing on their faces. "We're here," Albus said "we're finally here." He jumped up, grabbing hold of Scorpius' arm, dragging him out of the train. "Come on now, we've got to get up near the front!" Scorpius laughed, allowing himself to be dragged along by the grinning boy, who was following the deep voice yelling "Firs' years, this way!" Albus finally let go when they saw the source of the voice. It belonged to the largest man Albus had seen in his life, but he knew who he was immediately.

"That's Professor Hagrid," Albus whispered excitedly to Scorpius, whose mouth was hanging wide open, "my dad told me all about him." That was when Hagrid turned to look at them. "Well you must be Albus," Hagrid exclaimed, "your father told me that you would be a first year. You look just like him, and my, you've got your grandmother's eyes." Hagrid didn't look as excited when he saw Scorpius. "Oh. And I guess we've got a Malfoy, too." He said gruffly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Scorpius replied politely. Hagrid looked startled but then began to laugh. "You're different than your dad, I like you." Scorpius smiled up at him, "Thank you, sir." "Well," Hagrid said, "It's about time you boys got on the boats." The boys left him with a hurried "Nice to meet you, sir." and jumped down into an awaiting rowboat.

"Oh there you are, Albus," Albus heard from behind him as Rose awkwardly stepped into the boat, "I didn't see you anywhere on the train." "Oh, yeah, I was sitting in the back with Scorp," He explained. Rose glanced at Scorpius uncomfortably. "Oh, I'm sorry," Albus said, "Rose, this is my new friend Scorpius. Scorp, this is my cousin Rose." "Well it's nice to meet you," Rose said stiffly, although it was obvious that she didn't mean it. They were soon joined by a small, fragile looking girl with long blond hair, blue eyes gleaming with excitement. "Do you mind if I sit with you," she asked nervously. "Of course not! Come on in! I'm Albus Potter. This is my cousin, Rose Weasley, and this is Scorpius Malfoy." "Thanks," she said smiling, "I'm Elle. Elle Jackson."

It wasn't long before the rowboats began to move by themselves. They traveled swiftly across the lake without disturbing the water beneath them. As they turned a corner, the castle came into view and everyone gave a large gasp of appreciation. The castle was absolutely beautiful, Albus could feel the excitement growing inside of him. He looked toward his new friend Scorpius, and could see that he felt the same. This was going to be the start of something great.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorting

Albus POV

Albus walked happily towards the large stone castle, Scorpius following quickly behind him. The group of eleven year olds chattered excitedly as they closely followed Hagrid up the old stone steps. When the doors opened, they were stopped by a tall dark man with sharp eyes. He pulled the doors wide open. He lead them into a small , empty chamber off the hall. He waited a few minutes while the students continued to talk and fideget around. His eyes gazed through the crowd landing on a few students. He looked sternly at a boy with wild brown hair and a girl who didn't seem to understand just exactly how the robes were supposed to be worn.

He stared at them for another minute, then cleared his throat loudly. All the new students snapped quickly to attention. He spoke to them in a deep, steady voice, a calm Bulgarian accent coming through, "Hello. I am Dmitri Varkov, the new Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. The rest of the school is waiting in the Great Hall. When I give the word, you will form a line and enter the Hall. When your name is called, you will walk up the steps and put the sorting hat on. Once you have been sorted, you will take a seat at your house's table and wait for the sorting to end. After that, the Headmistress will have a few words for you and the start-of-term banquet will begin. Are there any questions?"

Varkov scanned the room quickly. When nobody made a move he said, "Good. Arrange yourselves alphabetically. I will return when we are ready for you." He strode out of the room swiftly.

Scorpius inched closer to Albus. "Well he seems pleasant enough," he said sarcastically. Albus gave a small laugh, "You can say that again."

The students struggled to put themselves in the correct order. It all went downhill when a small blonde girl gave a frightened shriek. They all looked around, scared as to what they would see. Albus gasped along with the rest of the first years when he saw what the girl was looking at.

Nearly 20 ghosts were coming through the back wall. Their bodies shimmered in a slightly transparent hue. They floating about, speaking in hushed conversations among themselves. They waved happily to the children as they passed, welcoming them to the school. Four new ghosts descended from the ceiling and surrounded the first years. One of the ghosts, a tall man with a curly moustache, whose head looked wobbly on his shoulders, was the first to greet the newcomers. "Oh, hello there new ones! So great to see you! You should join me in Gryffindor! We'd have so much fun!" A fat little monk butted in, "Or you could be in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know!"

"What is the meaning of this?" A deep voice commanded, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin." Professor Varkov had returned. One by one the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. Varkov stared angrily at the mob of students standing in the middle of the room, gawking at the ghosts. "Do you need help forming a simple line," he asked, seething, "Archer, Beauregard, Beckett, Brooks," he barked out. Scorpius caught Albus by the arm and lead him towards the end of the line. "Knight, Long, Malfoy, Paige, Patil-Davies, Potter, Reed," Varkov continued.

"Man, it sounds like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," said a voice behind Albus. He turned around and saw a girl with long red hair. She kind of looked like his sister Lily, but with a softer, kinder looking face. He gave her laugh and said, "Definitely. I sure hope he's not one of our professors." The girl's eyes widened a bit, "I sure hope not, too." Albus smiled at the girl, "I'm Albus by the way."

"I'm Sophie. It's nice to meet you," she said, returning his smile. "So are you excited?" she asked cheerfully.

Albus thought for a second. "Maybe. I can't decide. I'm either excited or nervous."

Sophie gave a laugh. "I know what you mean. It's probably both."

They were interrupted Varkov's booming voice, "Alright. Now that that's settled, let's head to the Great Hall."

The hall was full of students when they got there. It was so loud that Albus could hardly even hear Professor Varkov trying to get their attention. He made a motion with his wand and suddenly his voice seemed to come from every corner of the room.

"Attention!" The students became deathly quiet. Varkov continued, "The sorting ceremony is about to begin. I ask that you remain relatively quiet until the end of the ceremony." He gestured to somebody and an old, weathered hat sitting on top of a stool was carried onto the tear near the hat's brim opened and a gravelly voice rang out in the Great Hall, singing a cheerful song.

"I may not be the cleanest,

most attractive hat you'll find.

But I guarantee I'm the only hat

that can see into your mind

I will know all of your traits

And you may find that bizarre

But, I will sort you into the perfect house

that wants you for who you are

Do you belong in Slytherin

with those of cunning and ambition?

Or would you fit in Ravenclaw

where the wise can gain admission?

How about in Gryffindor

where they are chivalrous and daring?

Or maybe you're a Hufflepuff

who is hardworking and caring.

So come on, step up, and do not fear

For the sorting will soon be done

You'll join us in another year,

A year of wizarding fun!"

The Hall erupted into loud cheers and applause. Professor Varkov cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the students once again. "Now, when I read out your name, I want you to sit on the stool and put the hat on your head. Once you have been sorted, you may take a seat with your housemates." Varkov reminded them in case they had forgotten what to do amid all of the excitement. He walked over to the podium and pulled out a list. "Archer, Sarah." A skinny girl with dark brown hair walked nervously to the stool. The hat seemed to come to life as soon as it sat on her head. It thought for a second before yelling out, "Hufflepuff!"

It felt like there was an infinite number of students in line before Albus. He could feel himself growing anxious. He couldn't wait to be sorted, yet at the same time he was dreading it. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Varkov yell out, "Malfoy, Scorpius." He watched his new friend walk confidently toward the hat. It smiled as it was set on his head. Albus could see Scorpius whispering something. The hat let out a laugh and announced, "Slytherin!"

Albus was getting close. Dylan Paige was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Priya Patil-Davies was put in Ravenclaw. The next name was his own. "Potter, Albus."

"Good luck!" Sophie whispered to him. He walked slowly, nervously, up to the stool. The room was quiet. He could have heard a pin drop. Out of nowhere, he heard someone yell,

"Whoo! Go Albus!" He scanned the room. Finally, his gaze fell on Scorpius, sitting at the Slytherin table. He grinned and gave Albus a thumbs up. A few people laughed. Albus smiled as the sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Hmmm... Very interesting," the hat said, catching Albus off guard, "You remind me very much of your father. You have the qualities of both a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. Let me guess, 'not Slytherin, not Slytherin'" The hat chuckled to itself. Albus looked to where Scorpius was sitting, still smiling at him.

"No. Slytherin is fine. You're really the expert here. Whatever you want."

"Oh really? Well then in that case... Slytherin!"

The room was silent except for a few gasps. Albus got up slowly and looked at the room full of people staring at him. His eyes finally fell upon James who looked shocked. But when his eyes met Albus's, he composed himself and gave his brother a reassuring smile and a nod. That was all Albus needed. He walked over to the Slytherin table and took a seat next to Scorpius.

"Well, well, well. Look who's a Slytherin."

Albus laughed, "You don't have to sound so surprised."

"Well excuse me," Scorpius said laughing.

"Sophie Reed." Albus looked back up to the platform to see Sophie sitting on the stool. It didn't take too long for the hat to make its decision. "Gryffindor!" She beamed and made her way to her table, but not before seeing Albus and giving him a wave.

"Ooh! Who's that? You're new girlfriend?" asked a voice. Albus spun around and saw Dominique standing behind him.

"What?! No! I just met her!"

She laughed. "Calm down I'm just giving you a hard time. I just wanted say welcome to Slytherin. Nobody worth mentioning has been sorted in here since Louis. It looks like that's changed," she said, placing a hand on both Albus and Scorpius' shoulders, "I'm proud of you."

Albus smiled up at her, "Thanks, Dom."

"Well I had better go before Varkov comes down here and bites my head off, himself."

"Alright. I'll see you around," Albus said.

"Who was that?" Scorpius asked as Dominique walked away.

"That's Dominique. She's my cousin."

"Oh," Scorpius said, "Well she's hot."

"What? Oh my god. Thank you Scorpius. Thank you so much."

Scorpius laughed at his reaction, "Sorry. It's just an observation. By the way, isn't that your cousin, too?" He asked, pointing at the front of the room. Albus looked up just in time to see Rose getting sorted into Whitaker got sorted into Ravenclaw, too, and then the ceremony over.

The door off to the side opened with a bang. "Oh my, oh my." An older woman murmured as she walked in, looking frazzled though she had a large smile on her face as she looked out at the students. She walked quickly to the podium, yellow robes flying gently behind her. She cleared her throat softly, "Oh my, it seems I'm a bit late. I'm Professor Sprout, Headmistress here at the wonderful school of Hogwarts. I hope you all had a great Sorting and are happy with your House. It's so good to see all your happy little faces today. Just a reminder, the Forbidden Forest is still forbidden, but I know you kids won't go in there. I hope everyone has a happy year with new friends and new adventures. It's just so great to have everyone with us again this year, have a great year. Let's eat!"

Victoire POV

"So what's up with this Varkov guy?"

"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on, Victoire! You have to know something! I mean, if any of us knew what was happening, wouldn't it be the Head Girl?" Victoire couldn't help but smile. She hadn't quite gotten used to her new title yet.

"Well," she began, "I hate to admit it, but I don't know why it happened. It's weird though, right? Like, why would somebody who has no background at Hogwarts suddenly get the Deputy Headmaster job? It just doesn't make sense."

"Seriously," Olivia said, "no sense at all. What happened to Professor Sherwood? I mean, why isn't she Deputy Headmistress anymore? It's not like she retired or anything."

Victoire looked up to the professors' table. Sure enough, Marrian Sherwood was sitting at the far end of the table, deep in conversation with Professor Trelawney. Next to her was Professor Hagrid who was talking animatedly with whom she recognized as Professor Longbottom. Professor Ethel Baylor was sitting next to her husband, Eugene Baylor. They had been at Hogwarts for as long as she could remember. Not as long as Professor Sinistra and Vector, though. They were there when her dad went to Hogwarts. Her eyes continued down the line and saw an empty chair. Now this guy had seriously been there forever. Nobody knew how long Binns had been there. Victoire knows, she's asked. The next seat was occupied by a slender, dark skinned man with a hardened face, though not as stern looking as Varkov's. Victoire couldn't remember seeing him before. Professor Hopkins was next to him, but he didn't seem like he was trying to make any conversation. Then, there was another empty chair. She wasn't sure who that seat could belong to. Her eyes shifted to the next seat where Professor Fiedlerson was giggling and talking to a young professor who must be new. He was a tall, thin man with dark brown hair and an attractive face. He couldn't have been more than a few years older than Victoire.

"Oh my. Who's that?" Olivia asked, looking at the same young man. Someone behind that chuckled.

"I believe that's Blake Hawthorne, if I'm not mistaken." Victoire looked back and jumped out of her seat immediately.

"Oh my god! What are you doing here?" She shrieked. Teddy laughed harder.

"Oh? Did I forget to tell you? Sprout hired me. I'm teaching transfiguration now." Victoire couldn't believe it.

"Why do you do this to me?"

"What? Aren't you happy that I'm here?" Teddy asked teasingly.

"Ugh. You really drive me crazy sometimes." She said, stepping forward, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest. He hugged her back but then stepped back quickly. Victoire looked up at him.

"What's wrong?"

He nodded toward the professors' table and she saw Varkov staring at them intently.

"I guess professor/student relationships are, uh, frowned upon," Teddy said.

"Oh." Victoire replied. She could feel her face fall.

"Hey," Teddy said quietly, touching her arm, "don't worry about him. He doesn't matter. He's not going to do anything. Sprout is fine with it. She knew what the situation was when she hired me. We have nothing to worry about."

"I sure hope you're right," she whispered back, "Oh but I'm Head Girl! What are people going to think? You're a professor now. They're going to assume things." Teddy looked hurt.

"I'm sorry, Vic. I didn't think about any of that. I guess I just thought you would see this as a good thing. I wouldn't have taken the job if I had known that it would upset you."

"No, no I'm sorry," Victoire said, backpedaling, "I'm just really surprised is all and it was so sudden. I really am happy that you're here! I didn't think I would get to see you until Christmas and now I get to see you everyday!" Teddy gave a small laugh.

"Now there's the spirit!" He lowered his voice a bit more, "And nobody has to know if you don't want them to. I won't tell a soul." She smiled up at him. "You know what?" He said, "We can talk about this later. You go back to your friends. Have a good time."

"Hey," she said grabbing his arm before he could walk away, "one more thing."

"Yeah?" He asked. She motioned for him to lean in closer.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear. He gave a low, breathy laugh.

"I love you, too." He whispered back, "Now I'm going to go hang out with my new best friend, Varkov. Enjoy the feast." He said giving her a wink. And with that he made his way back to his seat. Victoire laughed and sat back down next to Olivia. She didn't know what this year had in store for her. But, she knew one thing for sure: it definitely wasn't going to be what she had expected.


End file.
